It is 3pm on Thursday 20 November 2008 and this post makes it official: I am a part of the new century. I’ve embraced technology. Just as President-elect Obama is having to relinquish his coveted blackberry and laptop to secret service agents, I have donned fuzzy slippers, flannel pajamas and embarked on my journey into the blog-o-sphere.

So be warned my family and friends – if, from now on, dinner is late, the clean laundry is still in the dirty basket, your emails haven’t been answered in over a week, moths have taken over the pantry where you’re used to finding food and I don’t seem to be answering my phone, you all have Sarah Palin to blame.  If not for fear of her DNA being left all over the Oval Office, I would never have found the Alaskan bloggers like AKMuckraker, Phillip Munger, Shannyn Moore, Gryphen or Celtic Diva. They make my day. For over two months I have not been able to pour a morning cuppa without settling into their links and reading their latest take on our most historical US election. Some days I found myself eating breakfast at sunset.

Obama won. But for three states, the election was far from over. Just as I felt relaxed that Sarah Palin was not (at least this year) going to Washington, the senatorial race in Alaska grabbed me by both arms and shouted IT’S NOT OVER! WE’VE GOT A FELON RUNNING FOR OFFICE! Pour more coffee.  

The good Senator, convicted felon Ted Stevens, lost the last ballot count last night and in celebration, AKM gave each of us these cute little critter avatars. Mine was purple with wild bright red, flailing arms. Anyone who knows me automatically knows two things; I love purple and I’m always flailing. So there you go. I had to have that critter. I enquired as to how to post my own avatar and was instructed to come here (wordpress.com) and open an account. Then I would be free to post the avatar of my dreams.

Here’s the irony. I created an account. I carefully followed all the instructions, giving up my handle of ‘Lynn-in-Australia’ as there were no uppercase letters, spaces, numbers or symbols allowed. I choose a theme and inserted my own photo of a backfence covered in Geisha Girl flowers. It was cropped to exactly 741×142 pixels. Not once did I wince at the odd size. I choose a new text colour as the default couldn’t be discerned above the image. I answered every question asked and added some widgets to my page even tho before reading that I could have one, I’d no clue what a widget even was.

So now I have a blog with a pretty picture, the new name ‘ozmud’ (pronounced aussie mud) and a blog.

What I don’t seem to have is an avatar. You know, the cute little purple critter that was the whole reason I came to wordpress.com in the first place?  I not only haven’t a clue where one is meant to add an avatar, I have no clue how to ask wordpress.com a question.

So my plan now is to do what every good Oz does when things go wrong. I’m going to take a nap. And with any luck, the universe will sort itself out while I’m sleeping and I will awaken refreshed, to the sounds of angels singing, a door opening and a brilliant light illuminating a path to my beloved purple critter.

Hey. If Sarah can have a door, I can have a door.